MANILA - The state of calamity in the country due to the COVID-19 pandemic is extended possibly for three months, Malacanang announced Monday.

“The state of calamity is extended for possibly 3 months but only for the purpose of preserving the benefits under it,” Press Secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles said in a press conference.

Among the said benefits are the release of indemnification packages, emergency procurement, and the special risk allowance for health care workers, she said.

• Marcos recommends COVID-19 state of calamity to stay until end of 2022: DOH

"We will transition out of the state of calamity after further review," Cruz-Angeles said.

The announcement was made a week after the Department of Health (DOH) said that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. recommended that the COVID-19 state of calamity stays until the end of 2022.

Then President Rodrigo Duterte first placed the country under a state of calamity due to the pandemic in March 2020, and then extended its effectivity until September 12 this year.

The declaration gives local governments "ample latitude to continue to implement the COVID-19 vaccination program; [and] utilize appropriate funds, including the Quick Response Fund," Duterte had said.

It would also allow authorities to "monitor and control prices of basic necessities and prime commodities; and provide basic services to the affected populations."

• Duterte extends state of calamity due to COVID-19 for another year

The country logged its first COVID-19 case on Jan. 30, 2020 in a Chinese woman who arrived from Wuhan City, China where the respiratory disease is believed to have first emerged.

As of Sunday, the country's total cases reached 3,906,269, of which, 25,684 are active, data from the DOH showed.

At least 72.7 million people in the country have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, of whom 18.5 million have received their booster shots.

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